UnsignedCode
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Charlie Miller's latest iOS hack gets into the App Store, gets him tossed out (video)
This isn't the first brush Apple's iOS platform has had with apps that exploit security holes to run unsigned code, but according to the developer of InstaStock, this may be the first to get a security researcher booted from its developer program. Charlie Miller shared his discovery with Forbes earlier today, showing off an app which successfully made it through Apple's approval process despite packing the ability to download and run unsigned code. That could allow a malicious app to access user data or activate hardware features remotely. Apple pulled the app after the findings were published, and according to Miller, revoked his developer access shortly afterward for what seems to be a clear violation of the guidelines. He told CNET that he alerted Apple to the exploit three weeks ago, however it's unknown whether or not a fix for the problem is included in the new 5.0.1 version of iOS that's currently in testing. He'll be explaining his method in more detail next week at SysCan, but until the hole is confirmed closed we'd probably keep a tight leash on our app store browsing. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Homebrew Pre firmware just a button, cable away?
If you were to put the Pre on a scale of hacker friendliness from 1 to 10, where 1 is the iPhone (remember how long it took for the first jailbreaks back in the day?) and 10 is, say, OpenMoko, we're starting to get the impression that Palm's latest effort falls somewhere way past the 5 mark. We got out first hint that they're being good sports about letting developers play with the Konami code access to developer mode, and now we've got news that it's easy -- nay, trivial -- to run whatever firmware you'd like on the phone. It seems all you've got to do is hold down the volume up key when connecting the Pre to your computer via USB, then you can flash the phone 'til you're blue in the face; even better, the enterprising dev who found the trick says that it's mega simple to modify the stock build and he'd wiped out the activation check with minimal effort. This can only be good news for tweakers and anyone wanting to walk off the App Catalog's beaten path, and if this ultimately means we're a few solid steps closer to a Pre running WinMo 6.1, sign us up. Way up.[Via Daring Fireball]
Mac OS X homebrew on Xbox 360? Not likely.
A very dubious looking video of an Xbox 360 running Mac OS X has popped up on YouTube. Despite the recent revelations regarding unsigned code on the 360, the combination of the low resolution video, some strange background noise, and the out of shot mouse -- nevermind the anonymous submitter and complete lack of explanation -- means that we're not willing to accept that OS X is truly working on the Xbox just yet. The video itself shows an Xbox 360 booting into black screen with a stream of command line text, followed by an OS X desktop, and the submitter plugging in an external flash drive into the front USB port. He or she then yanks the drive, and the usual warning about unplugging devices without dismounting them appears in a timely fashion. Hardly evidence that would stand up in the court of Mac geekery, but that said, previous teasers have hinted at OS X running on the Xbox 360: even if this particular example isn't real, it can only be a matter of time before someone else comes out with a similar hack, and some clearer proof to go with it.[Thanks, Paul]
